Joe Arpaio Ripped Off For $291 In Apparent Credit Card Fraud

Not even the nation's self-proclaimed "toughest" lawman is immune to credit card fraud.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his wife were contacted by a Discover Card representative over the weekend, who informed them that their card number had been used to ring up a $291 bill at a Chicago grocery store, AZFamily.com reports.

The Maricopa County sheriff said he hadn't been to the Windy City since he married his wife there in 1957.

"I'm sure I didn't make the purchase so it could've been done by, what do you call it, skimmers making copies, or through the Internet, many different ways," Arpaio told Arizona's KPHO, suggesting that whoever was guilty of the crime hadn't targeted him in particular. "I don't think I'm the only victim around, there's many, many more I presume."

Arpaio has since canceled the card. He even told KPHO that he'd go easy on the perpetrators if it turned out that they stole his information because they were "struggling."

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has its own complicated history with misuse of credit cards. In 2010, the Arizona Republic reported that high-level officials in the department routinely charged lavish meals and stays at luxury hotels to their county-issued credit cards without ever reimbursing the expenses.

Jail employees frequently refer to Latinos as "wetbacks," "Mexican bitches," and "stupid Mexicans," according to the lawsuit. An email that included a photography of a Chihahua dressed in swimming gear with the caption "A Rare Photo of a Mexican Navy Seal" was widely distributed by sheriff's office supervisors.